Learning When to Give
by Xaleria07
Summary: (AU) Cold hearted divorce lawyer Orihara Izaya has given up on the idea of love due to the many broken relationships he has seen over the years, including his own parents'. But when good natured bad boy with a temper, Heiwajima Shizuo, shows up and begins to take an interest in the raven, Izaya's left to contend with the feelings he fears most.
1. I Hate Weddings

**Learning When to Give**

**Summary:** (AU) Cold hearted divorce lawyer Orihara Izaya has given up on the idea of love due to the many broken relationships he has seen over the years, including his own parents'. But when good natured bad boy with a temper, Heiwajima Shizuo, shows up and begins to take an interest in the raven, Izaya's left to contend with the feelings he fears most.

**Rating:** M for cursing, sexual themes, and possible violence

**Pairings: **Shizuo/Izaya

**Hello everyone! And welcome to my latest Durarara fanfic. :3 I'm quite excited to be back to writing again after a long break, but I warn you ahead of time that updates may take a while for this story because college sucks sometimes. :/**

**But I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Durarara or any of its characters.

* * *

**Prologue- I Hate Weddings**

Orihara Izaya absolutely hated weddings. The bright colors, the laughter that filled the air, the happiness that suffocated the atmosphere, and the overly bubbly attitudes of everyone involved. It sickened him. The only upside of weddings was the prospect of business for him if the marriage ever came to an end. Because without marriage there was no divorce, and without divorce, well then, he was out of a job.

Despite his young age of twenty-seven—though he always insisted he was forever twenty-one—Izaya had built up quite a reputation for himself as the best divorce lawyer in all of Tokyo, and possibly all of Japan. He was ruthless in court and an opponent that no other lawyer ever liked going against, although because of his popularity he was hard to avoid. Because of his good looks with his ever neat raven hair and enchanting crimson eyes, he was quite popular among the ladies. He did get a few husbands as clients as well, but he loved taking on the cases of women, mostly because he immensely enjoyed seeing the looks of disappointment on their faces when he wouldn't respond to their flirtations. He always claimed it was against ethics to get intimate with a client, which was basically just his bullshit cover for the fact that he was not interested in women in the least. But no one had to know that little tidbit about him, did they?

"Izaya!" a cheerful, laughing voice called out to him all of sudden. The said raven withheld the urge to cringe and instead plastered a polite smile on his face as one of his few longtime friends came up to him. He was really hoping to sneak away, but now that Shinra had seen him that was impossible. Not that Izaya disliked Shinra enough to not want to be near him. In fact it was exactly the opposite. Shinra was one of the few people Izaya genuinely liked and trusted. Izaya just didn't want to stay much longer in this kind of atmosphere. But he bore with it as Shinra hugged him, him returning it a bit awkwardly. "I'm so glad you made it!"

"Of course I would come," Izaya chuckled as they separated from their hug, Izaya stepping back a little to take a good look at his friend, Kishitani Shinra. It was bit odd to see him in something else besides the lab coat he was always wearing, but the fancy tuxedo he wore suited him as well. Before he forgot, Izaya added, "Congratulations on your marriage by the way."

"Ah, thank you," Shinra beamed like a happy man in love, which he was. He had harbored his feelings towards his now wife for years. Izaya could practically see the happy, shining sparkles in Shinra's dark eyes.

"Speaking of which, where's that lovely wife of yours?" Izaya wondered as he noticed Celty's absence. He had known Celty Sturluson—now Kishitani—almost as long as he had known Shinra. Shinra's father had just come home with her one day, saying that her parents had died in an accident in which she also lost her voice. Since ever then, him, Shinra, and Celty had become quite close friends.

"Oh, she was greeting a friend of hers last I saw," Shinra told him as he began to look around the crowd. "Ah, there she is! Celty, dear~! Look who came!"

Izaya sighed tiredly but smiled nonetheless as he followed Shinra to where Celty stood in her beautiful white gown decorated with crystals and lace. She looked great, her auburn hair pinned up stylishly and her forest green eyes also twinkling with happiness. She smiled at Izaya when she noticed him, giving him a small wave. Izaya began to wave back before his attention was caught by the man standing next to Celty.

He was tall—Izaya estimated probably around 6'1— and a bit muscular but not overly so—more lean than anything else. His messy blonde hair stuck out among the dark haired Japanese people surrounding him, and his suit seemed like it was more suited for a host club than a wedding, his bright pink and black stripe shirt unbuttoned a couple buttons at the top as it contrasted against his completely white suit. But his facial features weren't that bad Izaya noted as he caught the man's eyes which were a warm, coffee color. Suddenly Izaya noticed that the man was looking back at him with an arched eyebrow, a small, inquisitive smile on his face. It was a look that Izaya knew well.

Playing along, Izaya flashed the unknown blonde his signature smile that made men weak in the knees. It was coy with just the right hint of shyness and playfulness. Something that let men wonder about his character and intentions.

[I'm happy to see you made it, Izaya.] Celty typed out on the PDA she always had on her when he and Shinra finally came up beside them. The PDA was her way of communicating since she couldn't actually speak.

"Anything for you, Celty-chan~" Izaya winked at her as he smiled. "Congratulations on your marriage."

[Thank you.] Celty blushed shyly.

"So who's your friend here?" Izaya asked as his eyes trailed back to the tall blonde who was curiously looking at the wedding cake that was being passed out.

Celty opened her mouth in a gasping motion as if she just remembered the guy was there. She tugged on the man's sleeve and his head turned back in their direction. She typed something out and showed it the blonde, who afterwards turned to Izaya and Shinra with a greeting smile.

"Hey, I'm Heiwajima Shizuo, one of Celty's friends," he introduced himself, holding his hand out towards Shinra first.

"Ah, yes, we've meet before," Shinra perked up in recognition as he shook Shizuo's hand. Shinra then motioned to Izaya, introducing him, "This is my friend, Orihara Izaya."

Their eyes met, brown staring into crimson as they gauged each other. "Pleasure to meet you," Izaya said as he held his hand out.

"Same here," Shizuo replied as he shook Izaya's hand. His grip wasn't too tight or too loose, and his hand stayed clasped to Izaya's longer than necessary. Their eyes wouldn't leave each other as they seemed to be silently communicating. Izaya was pretty sure then that this guy was just like him.

That thought was only confirmed when Celty and Shinra left them to go greet other people and the two of them stood to the side, watching others with disinterest as they seemed to inch closer to each other.

"Wanna get out of here?" Shizuo finally whispered lowly in Izaya's ear, smiling invitingly at the raven. His breath was warm against the nape of Izaya's neck, and the raven could feel his body already shivering in anticipation.

"And where exactly would we go, Mr. Heiwajima?" Izaya asked, although he already had a pretty good idea of where.

"Just Shizuo is fine," Shizuo told him, casually letting his hand rest on Izaya's shoulder before trailing his fingers down the raven's arm sensuously and slowly. He continued, "I was thinking someplace close by. I heard that the views in the rooms from this hotel are great no matter what floor you're on." He finished his sentence with a sly grin, further emphasizing the double meaning behind his words.

Izaya returned his smile, placing his hand on Shizuo's arm to show he was interested, "Really now? Why don't you show me?"

* * *

"Mhm, hah, you're right," Izaya murmured between gasps as he pressed his hands against Shizuo's stomach, a wicked smile on his face as sweat glistened on his pale torso. "The view's beautiful from here."

"Yeah," Shizuo mused as he smiled, his hands on Izaya's hips. "It is a pretty nice view."

"I was talking about the view from the window, pervert," Izaya teased playfully, although he hadn't actually even noticed the view from the window. It was probably a nice view, considering they had been able to secure a room on a high floor, but he was too busy enjoying the man he currently was on top of to really care that he could see the entire city from here.

"Oh, that's what you were talking about?" Shizuo responded in mock surprise. "And here I thought we were talking about this." Shizuo then suddenly thrust his hips up, causing Izaya to cry out in surprise before moaning in arousal, his own hips pushing down to meet Shizuo's so that that the blonde's manhood could drive deeper into him.

God, where had this man been all his life? It was like he was a freaking psychic, knowing every one of Izaya's most sensitive spots that had the raven wantonly moaning and craving more. All of the other men Izaya had slept with hardly measured up to this guy. This Heiwajima Shizuo would be a wonderful addition to his list of fuck buddies.

_It's a good thing I decided to come to Shinra's wedding last minute_, Izaya thought as he and Shizuo rocked their bodies together, reaching their peaks. Their groans rang in each other's ears as they both climaxed, their hot skin pressed together. It took Izaya a moment to clear his head of the lustful euphoria before he finally pulled apart from Shizuo, slowly regaining his breath. When he felt like his legs were no longer disconnected from his torso, he got up from the bed and walked around the hotel room, picking his clothes back up.

"You seem to be a rush," his companion spoke from the bed, Shizuo sitting up to watch Izaya swiftly get dressed again.

"Well, I'm a very busy person, Shizu-chan," Izaya stated simply as he finished buttoning up his shirt and pulled on his suit jacket, "and as much as I would enjoy just spending my night with you in bed, I've got places to go, people to see, and things to do."

"Uh-huh…?"

"Look," Izaya sighed as he walked up to a mirror, lifting his head up slightly as he retied his tie, "tonight was nice. Our bodies are definitely compatible with each other so why don't we exchange numbers that way we can call each other up whenever we feel lonely?"

Finishing with tightening his tie, Izaya spun around and gave Shizuo a friendly smile, "What do you say, Shizu-chan?"

"Excuse me?" Izaya was a bit surprised to hear the sudden angry tone in the blonde's voice. The scary look on his face was also something Izaya hadn't been expecting. "You're expecting me to be some kind of booty call?"

"Well what were _you _expecting then?" Izaya questioned, his smile quickly disappearing.

"Oh I don't know," Shizuo snorted sarcastically, "Maybe actually getting to know each other and possibly having a real relationship instead of just fucking each other."

Oh god, he was one of _those _people, Izaya realized with horror as he felt his body stiffen. He usually never _ever_ made a mistake like this, but he was so sure that Shizuo was just like him! Boy had he thought wrong.

There was one cardinal rule that Orihara Izaya followed almost religiously throughout his life: **never **get seriously involved with anyone.

Because if he did have a serious relationship with someone, then that person would have expectations of Izaya, expectations that Izaya would never meet. He wouldn't—no, he couldn't—commit himself to one person. It just wasn't a part of him. Izaya had given up on the idea of ever having a serious relationship long ago. Because he knew there was no such thing as love.

There was just lust. And Izaya was perfectly content on just having relationships based on that.

"I apologize, Shizu-chan," Izaya said, his voice cold and his scarlet eyes narrowed in distrust. "But it seems I have made a mistake. Well then, this will be the last time we ever see each other then."

"Hey, now just a minute—!" Shizuo started as he got up from the bed.

"Let me tell you this," Izaya interrupted him abruptly, "I don't _do_ relationships. I just like having sex. So if you're looking to have something more, you're barking up the wrong tree. Now forget what I said earlier, and have a good night, _Shizu-chan_."

And with that said, Izaya turned sharply on his heel and walked out of the room, leaving a confused and slightly pissed off Shizuo standing there alone.

* * *

_That's the last time I ever pick up a guy at a wedding,_ Izaya thought angrily as he waited for the valet to bring up his car to the front. _Why the hell would a guy who dresses like a pimp not want a fuck buddy like me? _Izaya's eyebrows knitted in confusion before he shook his head and sighed in resignation. _Whatever, it's his loss._

Finally his car was pulled up to the front, and Izaya handed a tip to the driver as he took his keys and climbed into his car. He drove out from the hotel and started to head home, his thoughts still lingering on what happened earlier.

_It's too bad he turned out to be like that,_ Izaya thought regretfully. _We really did have great chemistry._

In fact, Izaya could still feel parts of his body still tingling with aftershocks of pleasure. He'd probably never find someone he was that compatible with for a long while.

Well, it was a good thing he learned now what kind of person Shizuo actually turned out to be. Because it would have definitely been bad if they had continued their relationship and Shizuo had started to expect more out of him later.

_Why am I still thinking about that guy?_ Izaya wondered with a frown. _He was an asshole anyway, nothing but a stupid protozoan._

But the time he spent with the so-called protozoan filled his head still throughout the entire ride home.

_Damn, _Izaya inwardly cursed as he tried to banish all the thoughts of a naked Shizuo from his head. _I really do hate weddings._

* * *

**I hope this chapter was good? OTL For some reason I feel out of practice with writing Durarara…**

**By the way, sorry if there's any major mistakes. I'm kind of proofreading this last minute before I lose internet because I am going on vacation.**

**Ahem, anyway, not sure when I'll be able to post the next chapter (especially since I won' have much internet for the next week and half!) but hopefully when I have internet again I will be able to update soon. But we'll have to see because college is unpredictable. ._. Enjoy Thanksgiving everyone!**

**Thanks to reading (and reviewing?)!**

**-Xaleria**


	2. Reunion of Sorts

**First off, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! ****Or Happy Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Holiday if you celebrate something else. I hope everyone is having a great winter break!**

**I also just wanna say that I love you guys! I think this is the first time I've ever gotten so much love at the very start of my fanfic. I especially want to say how extremely happy I am to see some of you who've read my other fanfics again as well as those who've said they've been waiting for me to come back. Thank you so much for being patient and loving my stories! ;w; I really hope you guys love this story as well!**

**Enjoy the next chapter~!**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Durarara or any of its characters.

* * *

**Chapter 1- Reunion of Sorts**

Beeeeeep.

"_Your special guest is here, Orihara._"

Izaya sighed at the sound of his secretary's bored voice from his desk phone, knowing that he had specifically told Namie to not drop the honorific from his name and to not call Shiki his "special guest" anymore. But, of course, that woman never listened to him.

"Send him in, Namie," Izaya responded before he let go of the intercom button and spun slightly in his desk chair as he waited for Shiki to enter his office.

Shiki was a man Izaya had known since high school and a man that Izaya greatly respected. And despite being from less than honest origins, Shiki was actually the one who got Izaya into law in the first place, and the one who funded Izaya's education. He was also the first man Izaya had ever slept with, and probably the only man Izaya ever came close to actually 'loving', though that had been some years ago. So in many ways, Shiki was a very important person to him although Izaya would never admit that aloud.

The door to his office creaked open then, breaking Izaya from his train of thought as he turned to greet the aforementioned man. "Ahh, Shiki-san," Izaya smiled as he laced his fingers together and propped up his elbows on his desk, "It's been such a long time."

"It's nice to see you too, Orihara-kun," Shiki's mouth curled up slightly in amusement. He casually surveyed his surroundings before choosing the perfect spot to sit that gave him a wide view of most of the room. While Shiki made himself comfortable, Izaya took a moment to look at the man then.

Despite the fact that Shiki was in his forties, the man could pull off being in his mid to late thirties. He appeared sophisticated in his pressed white suit and button down black shirt that was open a few buttons at the top—his gold chain necklace peeking out—but there was also a dangerous air around Shiki that intimidated others. That was how he commanded attention and maintained his position as a higher up executive in the Awakusu-kai group.

Actually, because Shiki was so high up in the order, Izaya was surprised to see him here. It had been almost half a year since Izaya had last seen Shiki because they both were always so busy with their own schedules, and since ever they had mutually broken off their intimate relationship they met with each other even less than before.

So for Shiki to be here there must be something important he wanted to talk about.

"So what brings you to this side of town, Shiki-san?" Izaya asked as he leaned back in his swivel chair, intertwining his fingers together and giving Shiki a friendly smile.

Shiki paused for a moment before he answered, carefully speaking, "I actually came to ask a favor of you."

"Oh?" Izaya arched a brow in curiosity. Shiki was not a man who usually liked asking others for favors since he didn't like to owe others in return. "This is quite surprising. What kind of favor exactly? I have a reputation to uphold after all."

"It's nothing illegal of course," Shiki snorted at him as he rolled his eyes, thinking how silly it would be to ask a lawyer to do something of that sort. Although Izaya definitely did have the skills to bend the law at his will and not get caught. "I just have a friend who is in need of a good divorce lawyer."

"I see, so what's the catch?" Izaya asked straight out, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. If that was really all Shiki wanted, then a phone call would have sufficed.

Shiki's mouth twitched up in a smile, as if he were expecting Izaya to know that wasn't everything to his request. "Well you see, Orihara-kun, this friend of mine can't really…afford to pay your services."

"You mean you want me to take this client for _free_?" Izaya's tone was just a bit questioning and upset. Orihara Izaya did not do pro bono. There was just no benefit for him to do such a thing.

"Not entirely for free," Shiki reassured him. "My friend is not the type of person who would allow you to do something for him without repaying you. I'm just asking that you be a bit more lenient when it comes to charging him. And I'll pay you the difference, of course."

Izaya pursed his lips in thought, mulling over the idea in his head. While it sucked that he wouldn't be getting paid his usual rate, he wouldn't really make Shiki pay the difference since he actually owed Shiki much more than that. And it was a male client, something Izaya hadn't had in a while. It would be nice to take on a male client for a change. Who knows, this guy might even end up being some eye candy for Izaya to admire before he decided to have a taste. So perhaps doing this one favor for Shiki wouldn't kill him.

"Alright," Izaya sighed in resignation, giving Shiki a teasing smile. "If you're that desperate for my help, I supposed I should help you out this one time, Shiki-san."

"Gracious as always, Orihara-kun," Shiki smirked before he stood up, straightening his suit as he did so. "I'll make sure to inform my friend that you've accepted his case. When are you available to see him?"

"Hmm," Izaya looked over his calendar, "tomorrow morning at 10 will do."

"Good," Shiki nodded in affirmation before he moved to leave. "I'll let him know you'll see him then. Good day, Orihara-kun."

"Until next time, Shiki-san," Izaya gave a small salute, watching the door close behind Shiki. He wondered just what kind of "friend" of Shiki's this was anyway.

Well, guess he would just have to wait and find out then.

* * *

Two damn weeks. It had been two weeks since the wedding and the day that damn bastard left him sitting in a hotel room, naked and alone. Two weeks full of anger, confusion and, embarrassingly, sexual frustration for Heiwajima Shizuo.

Although he hadn't liked the way that guy—Izaya—had just suddenly turned cold and upped and left, Shizuo had to admit that he and Izaya had explosive chemistry together. That night had been some of the best sex Shizuo had in a long time, and, admittedly, he actually kind of liked Izaya despite the outward roughness because Izaya was totally his type. Which was a damn shame since the guy apparently didn't want anything else besides a fuck buddy relationship with Shizuo.

Shizuo was just too much of an honest man to be sex friends with someone. He would always want to be more, so there was no point of putting himself in a position where he couldn't be, even if he really wanted the guy.

"I need to get out more," Shizuo sighed to himself as he finished wiping down the glass he was polishing until it shone crystal clear. He placed the glass back in its proper place on the shelves behind the bar, humming in satisfaction as he backed up to admire his handiwork.

"Nice work," a voice sounded off from behind him. "You always take great care of this bar."

"Thank you, Akabayashi-san," Shizuo greeted with a smile as he watched the red-headed man walk up to the bar and sit down on one of the stools there, his hands folded over each other as it gripped the head of his cane. Shizuo then turned back to the bar, seeing all the bottles and glasses as well as the gloss over the cherry wood of the entire bar shine in the light. "Well, this bar is my livelihood so it would be stupid of me to not take care of it."

"Haha, wise words," Akabayashi nodded in agreement as he turned to face Shizuo, resting his arms on the bar.

Shizuo always wondered how Akabayashi got that scar that ran through his left eye, but he figured it was none of his business and that it was better to not pry. His boss would always just be a mysterious, but good, man. But getting back to the fact that Akabayashi was checking in on him at the end of his shift, Shizuo asked, "Did you need something from me, Akabayashi-san?"

"Actually I have something for you," Akabayashi reached into his pocket as he spoke, handing Shizuo a piece of paper with a map drawn on it. "You remember how I said I have a close friend who knows a good divorce lawyer? Well he told me today that his friend is willing to take your case. You have an appointment with him tomorrow morning at 10. There's a map of how to get to his office."

"Really? That's great!" Shizuo sighed with relief as he gratefully took the map from Akabayashi. "I really don't know how else to thank you, Akabayashi-san."

"No need to thank me," Akabayashi smiled at the blonde as he moved to stand up. "You're a good worker, Heiwajima-san. Now why don't you head on home? It's late, and you've worked past your shift as it is already."

"Ah, yes," Shizuo mumbled with a little embarrassment, quickly gathering his stuff. He always took a little more time than necessary cleaning up the bar after the last customer left, but Akabayashi always made sure to pay him extra for any overtime he did, which he appreciated greatly. Money was hard to come by especially since he would now have to be paying this lawyer for his services.

As Shizuo bid goodbye to Akabayashi and headed home, he thought about his current predicament. He was so relieved that Akabayashi's friend was able to convince his lawyer friend to help Shizuo out.

Because this fight was one Shizuo couldn't afford to lose.

* * *

**Sorry this chapter took a while and that it's not very long. OTL These beginning chapters will be quite shorter than what I usually write, but I promise they'll get longer later. And ****my updates will pretty much be this slow because of school and whatnot. ****But I wanted to get something out for Christmas so here it is! **

**Thank you for reading, reviewing and being so patient with me! **

**-Xaleria **


	3. What Could You Want

**Hello everyone! Sorry for the long wait, but here's the next chapter for you to enjoy! :) Our two favorite characters finally meet again~heehee!**

**And a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! You guys are awesome!**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Durarara or any of its characters.

* * *

**Chapter 2- What Could You Want**

Shizuo looked at the map then back at the building to make sure he was in the right place. He let out a low whistle, looking up at the impressive skyscraper with admiration. While he highly doubted the entire building was owned by the law office he was going to, having an office in such a building was still pretty snazzy. He wondered how many clients this divorce lawyer had to be able to afford such luxuries. Hopefully not too much that he wouldn't take on Shizuo's case.

Wasting no more time, Shizuo marched into the building, reading the directory and finding the name of the office he was looking for. _Orihara Law…Orihara…Orihara…why does that name sound familiar?_

Shizuo unconsciously scrunched his eyebrows in thought as he made his way to the elevator to go to the twenty-first floor. He kept repeating the name in his head, trying to match up names with it. But nothing seemed right. _Orihara…Orihara…Itsuki? No…Orihara…_

The elevator dinged, signaling his arrival to the floor he wanted. He walked out, still lost in thought as he made his way down the hallway that opened up into a lobby. A secretary sat at a desk in the front, the silver nameplate behind her displaying the moniker of the law office. Shizuo looked at it in thought, _Orihara…Iz—_

"Can I help you?" a voice tore Shizuo away from his thoughts as he turned towards the speaker. He looked at the put-off secretary who sat at the desk, her scowling expression clearly showing her desire to be anywhere else but here. Not exactly great customer service she was giving.

"Ah, yes, I have an appointment," Shizuo replied to her question. The nurse didn't even bother to smile back much less respond as she turned back to whatever she was typing on the computer.

"Sit down and I'll let Orihara know you're here."

"Uh…alright, thanks," Shizuo muttered as he turned away and sat down in one of the comfy looking chairs set out in the lobby. Jeez, he hoped this Orihara wasn't anything like his workers because if so maybe Shizuo would be better off getting some other lawyer.

_No, it has to be the best,_ Shizuo told himself as he set his face with determination. He had intended since the beginning of his divorce to set out and find the best divorce lawyer in all of Tokyo before his wife—soon to be ex-wife—did.

Sighing, Shizuo thought about his wife, Vorona Anisimov(1). When they first met, she had been a Russian foreign exchange student at a college that was close to the bar Shizuo had worked at the time. One day she had come in with a couple friends and they had dared her to talk to Shizuo because they found out that Vorona actually found him quite attractive. Surprisingly, they hit it off pretty well, and Shizuo had actually been kind of hopeful because of Vorona's appearance. He thought, for that moment, that he may actually have a shot at a normal life.

Because up until he met Vorona, Shizuo had struggled with his sexual identity. He had never admitted it to anyone—not even to his brother, Kasuka, whom he was extremely close with—that the only people Shizuo had ever had crushes on when he was younger had all been male.

As a naïve child, Shizuo had been scared of himself. He only knew that it was normal for guys to like girls and find them attractive. But Shizuo, on the other hand, only found most girls annoying or okay as friends. And he had only found himself attracted to men. In fact, Shizuo's first self-conscious crush had been on his middle school math teacher, who had been a baby-faced fresh out of college guy.

So when Shizuo found that he actually liked Vorona's company, and that he found her not terrible looking, he was relieved. He thought that maybe he could finally be "normal" and have the kind of family he always wanted, which he wouldn't have been able to do otherwise. So he asked her to marry him.

But what a mistake that had been.

Sure, their marriage had started off just fine, but Shizuo soon found out that while he did "like" Vorona, he didn't "love" her. It was difficult to maintain a stable relationship with Vorona after Shizuo realized that no matter what he did that he couldn't change himself. It was probably then that he began to explore and embrace the other side of himself that he had been shamefully trying to hide so long before.

Of course, he didn't actually cheat on his wife—that wasn't the kind of man he was—but he did finally work up the nerve to step into a gay club and find out more about the world he had been avoiding. That had also been when he first met Akabayashi. The red-headed man had taken pity on Shizuo after hearing his story and invited him to become one of his employees. Shizuo had accepted, especially since Akabayashi offered more money and benefits than his current job did.

He wasn't sure when Vorona had started to suspect him, but it probably wasn't long after Shizuo switched jobs. And that was because not soon after Shizuo started working with Akabayashi did he and Vorona have their first fight.

And what a fight it had been. They both had been dead drunk, having gone to one of Vorona's friend's party together, and they both were very angry with each other, screaming to the point of where people were put off by their anger. They honestly should have broken up after that fight, but their drunkenness had also caused them to make many unplanned actions that night.

And one of those actions had been the reason they decided to stick it out and stay together for as long as they did.

But finally, after five years, Vorona had come up to Shizuo and demanded that they divorce, saying that she was tired of sticking around when they didn't really love each other. Besides, she had found someone else to love.

Had that just been it, Shizuo would have gladly signed the divorce papers and sent her off with his congratulations.

But Vorona had demanded for the one thing that Shizuo couldn't—wouldn't—give up.

Which is why he was here, trying to get the best divorce lawyer in all of Tokyo.

So waiting for this man better be damn worth it.

* * *

Beeeeeep.

"_Your ten o' clock is here, Orihara._"

Izaya looked up from his computer where he had been busily typing away on a chat room, gathering the latest dirt on one of his client's ex-husbands. Looked like the guy wasn't too terribly honest with his ex-wife about how he spent their money.

"Go ahead and let him in, Namie," Izaya told her through the intercom as he logged out of the chat room. He sighed as he leaned back against his swivel chair. So the so-called "friend" of Shiki's was here. Izaya guessed he wouldn't have to wait much longer to see just what kind of man this was.

Bringing out the necessary papers and a notebook to write down some notes, Izaya wondered what he would be fighting for his client this time. Money, most likely, or some material possessions of worth. Perhaps this client owned some real estate property and didn't want his greedy wife to get her grubby hands on it. Or maybe he wanted all of the money in their shared bank account like his current client. Well, no matter what it was, most of his clients' requests usually led back to money.

The steady knocking on his office door made Izaya quickly put on his "work face" as he called, "Come in."

He heard the twist of the doorknob and the whooshing sound of air as the door swung open.

The man standing there certainly wasn't the one he had been expecting as Izaya's expression fell to shock.

And obviously, the man standing there obviously hadn't expected Izaya either.

"It's you!"

* * *

How could have he been so stupid? No wonder he faintly recognized the name! Izaya, after all, had been the guy Shizuo had been thinking about (and pining over) for two weeks now. Though granted, Shizuo had really only remembered Izaya's intriguing first name hence why he didn't readily connect him to the "Orihara".

But wow, really, what a coincidence this ended up being. Or maybe it was actually a sign…

"Huh," Shizuo mused as a smile slowly spread on his face. "Didn't peg you for a divorce lawyer."

"And I didn't peg you for the _married _type," Izaya quickly shot back, the edge of his voice being just a tad angry as he scowled. Not only had Izaya slept with the exact type of man he tried to avoid, but that man was also _married._

Shizuo winced slightly at the bite in Izaya's words. "Yeah, well, it wasn't exactly…planned right."

Izaya only narrowed his eyes at Shizuo, before sighing in exasperation. "Whatever, I don't even care. You might as well leave now because there is no way I am taking you on as a client."

"Hey, wait, you can't just kick me out without even hearing my story!" Shizuo quickly fought as his smile turned into a frown.

"Didn't you hear me?** I**. **Don't. Care. **Now leave." Izaya didn't even bother to look at him as he waved the blonde away and turned in his swivel chair to face away from Shizuo. Boy was Shiki going to get an earful of him later.

"Look, I know we didn't exactly get off on the right foot…b-but I really need your help!"

Izaya paused in thought slightly, noting that there was a desperate tone to Shizuo's voice. Did he really want to keep all his money that badly?

Izaya waited for a moment as he heard Shizuo huff angrily before growling and his foot slightly tapping with impatience.

"I can pay you."

"I'm not exactly in need of money, as you can see, so I don't care even if you can pay me." _Besides, you can't even pay me my usual rate, not that you know that._ Izaya thought to himself.

"I…" Shizuo muttered, growing anxious and frustrated. He really did need Izaya's help and couldn't leave without the raven agreeing to be his lawyer. Gritting his teeth and hoping this would work, he tentatively offered, "I can pay you…in other ways."

_Oh?_ Izaya perked with interest slightly. Now this was interesting. Sure, he didn't usually make the mistake of sleeping with men who made it obvious they wanted more again, but he would be lying if he said he didn't crave the kind of sex he had with Shizuo two weeks ago. Izaya hadn't been able to find anyone he had the same amount of physical chemistry with, and sex with his other usual partners had started to look lackluster in comparison.

Thinking that Izaya was about to reject him, Shizuo added a bit gruffly, "Please. I really need your help and you're supposed to be the best divorce lawyer in Tokyo."

"Hm, that's true I am the best," Izaya mused, "And while I can't say that clients have never offered their…_services_ to me before, I've never had anyone say that before I took their cases." Izaya turned back to Shizuo in his swivel chair, a mischievous smile on his face. "What could you possibly want so badly from your _wife _that you need someone of my caliber?"

Izaya watched with interest as Shizuo steadily met his eyes, not looking the least bit ashamed of his offer and what it implied. _He must really want whatever it is really badly._

"I want sole custody of our kid."

Now _that_ wasn't what Izaya had been expecting.

* * *

**I'm extremely sorry this update took a while guys. OTL I'll try my best to only keep about a month wait between updates at most. XD But wow, it took me forever to get this chapter started but once I got to the middle of it I was just so excited to finish it. (Some of you guessed that it was Vorona Shizuo was married to…and yeah, you're right XD). This chapter probably would have been up last night had I not had my practical the next day so I had to go to sleep. **

**But I really hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! ^^ I'll try to update as soon as I can, especially since we're finally getting to the good stuff. :3 But in the meantime, I also started this small fic series on my tumblr blog that features TsukixRoppi as the main couple called "Letters by Air", and I'd really appreciate it if you guys checked that out too! :)**

**Also, thank you guys for being so awesome and patient. ;w; Like really, I don't deserve awesome readers like you. Thank you so much!**

**-Xaleria**

(1) Vorona is a character who only shows up in the Durarara! light novels. From my understanding, she is supposed to be a Russian assassin, and Vorona is actually supposed to be an alias and not her true name. Her true name is unknown so for the sake of familiarity I stuck with Vorona. I picked a random Russian surname for her since I am not sure what her last name is.

For those of you who don't know what Vorona looks like and would like a visual image, you can see a picture of her here: zerochan 316566 (I realize they give her a last name on this website but I question the validity of it so I didn't make that her last name since I was not 100% sure of it.)


	4. Author's Note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

I'm really sorry guys to be giving you one of these instead of a chapter! But just giving you all a heads up that, unfortunately, the next update is going to take a LONG while. I'm not entirely sure how long because I've been really pressed for time lately because of school, life and work, but I wanted to forewarn you all especially since I know so many people like and are looking forward to this story.

I promise I will eventually finish it; I'll just be taking a long while too. XD But thank you so much everyone for your support! I really appreciate everyone's reviews and I'm sorry I haven't gotten to reply to all of them! And thank you everyone who has favorited and followed this story as well.

I'll do my best to squeeze in writing here and there so I can eventually update with the next chapter!

Thank you again everyone for being so patient!

**-Xaleria**


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